


Family Portrait

by peacenik_jesus



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-19 17:32:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17006058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peacenik_jesus/pseuds/peacenik_jesus
Summary: Cute little domestic bliss fluff piece with just a dash of smut.





	Family Portrait

Time spent in Alexandria seemed to always be divided equally between time with Aaron, time with Gracie, and time with both of them. Paul loved the little domestic life he’d found here, and hated having to go back to Hilltop. But for now, he had three days of uninterrupted bliss awaiting him with his partner and Aaron’s daughter, and he was looking forward to every second he’d get to spend with them.

As he neared Alexandria, the front gates came into view and he could see a small blonde head poking up over the wall from the lookout stand. A tiny arm shot up as soon as he was spotted, waving wildly before disappearing out of view. Even from the distance he still had between his horse and the gate, he could hear Gracie’s excited voice shouting, “He’s here! He’s here!! Daddy, Jesus is here!”

The smile it brought to his face was automatic. He loved how excited Gracie got whenever she saw him. The gate opened and the small girl ran out as Aaron supervised. Jesus gave him a smile and small wave, and saw Aaron smile and give a small wave in return. Pulling the horse to a stop as Gracie ran up, he offered his hand down to her and helped her climb up into the saddle, settling her in his lap. She took the reins, her little legs trying to kick the horse forward with her heels that didn’t reach past the saddle. Jesus smirked and discreetly pressed his heel into the horse’s side to move it forward, letting her bring Gulliver up to a trot as they rode in through the gate, Aaron closing it behind them.

Gracie grinned up at him as she pulled to a stop. “I’m getting good, aren’t I?”

“Almost better than me,” he winked, helping her climb back down before he dismounted.

The stable hand came to take the horse as Gracie helped Jesus with his pack, Aaron joining them a second later. “How was the ride in?”

“Not bad. Walker free; that’s always a plus,” he smirked, his eyes meeting Aaron’s as a silent exchange of ‘I love you’s passed between them. Aaron’s right hand came up to rest on the back of Paul’s neck, the only physical display of affection between them before Gracie took Jesus by the hand and started dragging him towards the house.

“Come on, Jesus! I wanna show you something!”

“Race you there?”

A devious grin curled the girl’s lip corners and she dropped Jesus’ pack on the ground. “1, 2, 3, GO!” She said as she took off in a dead run.”

“Heyyy!!” Jesus laughed in protest at his pack being dropped, and the cheater head start. He could hear Aaron laughing loudly.

“Go! I’ll get your bag.”

Jesus bolted after Gracie, easily catching up within a few strides, but slowing his pace so he didn’t leave the little girl in his dust. “I’m gonna win!”

“Nuh uh!” She huffed and puffed excitedly, arms and legs pumping as fast as they could.

He raced her neck and neck until they reached the steps of Aaron’s house. Gracie ran up to the top of the porch, bouncing around with glee to celebrate her win and taunting Jesus with a few nana-nana-boo-boo’s. He laughed, pretending to be more winded than he actually was. “You’re just too fast for me.”

She grinned happily, obviously pleased by his praise, then waved him inside excitedly. “Come on!”

He followed her inside, shucking his leather trenchcoat and hanging it up behind the door. Gracie reached for something on the countertop and held up a piece of paper. Leaves, twigs, grass, and other bits of earth were glued to the surface. Even though it was crude, Jesus could easily see that Gracie had made a portrait of himself, Aaron, and her.

“We had to use things in nature to make a family portrait. Do you like it?”

The words ‘family portrait’ seemed to go straight to his heart, and he brought his hand up to his chest as if trying to keep it from exploding. “I love it, Gracie. It’s amazing!”

“That’s me, and that’s you, and that’s daddy,” she explained, in case he wasn’t able to decipher, even though he had long hair made out of leaves, and Aaron’s curls were made out of mulch. It was precious, mostly because she considered him to be part of their family. “I wouldn’t let daddy hang it on the fridge until you got here.”

Aaron came through the front door at the tail end of her words, but seemed to know what she’d been talking about, “Yup, she wanted you to have the honor of hanging it up.”

Gracie smiled brightly as she held the artwork out to him, bouncing up and down on her feet. Jesus carefully took the portrait, looking at it in closer detail. He wouldn’t be able wipe the smile off his face if he tried. Moving to the fridge, he took a magnet and placed the picture in a prominent space around her other art.

“Time for you to do your homework, Gracie,” Aaron instructed, playfully gripping the top of her head and shaking her back and forth.

“Do I have to?” Gracie complained, exaggerating how much she was being shaken.

“We had a deal, remember? You promised to do your homework before dinner if I let you keep watch for Jesus.”

The small girl gave a dramatic sigh. “Okaaaaay.” She started to head upstairs, but stopped at the corner of the hallway. “Can we play beauty shop tonight?”

Jesus couldn’t resist the hopeful smile that peeled her lips apart, revealing the blank space where she’d recently lost a tooth. “Of course! That’s the only reason I keep my hair long,” he lied.

She bounced excitedly again, then ran up the stairs to do her homework. Aaron chuckled, coming up behind him and wrapping his right arm around Paul’s chest, pulling him close as he leaned in and kissed the man’s neck. “Sooner or later, she’s going to catch on and call you out on your lies.”

“Yeah, but for now they make her happy,” Paul turned in the man’s hold and slipped his arms around Aaron’s waist as their lips met in a soft, sweet kiss. When they pulled back, he grinned at the other man, looking up into Aaron’s eyes. “Hi.”

“Hi, yourself,” Aaron chuckled, amused that Gracie always had first dibs on Paul’s attention.

“Part of the family, hm?”

“You okay with that?”

“More than you know,” Paul cupped Aaron’s face in his hands and drew him back into another kiss that deepened almost instantly, and lasted for several heated moments until Aaron had to pull away with a groan of arousal.

“God, I miss you when you’re not here.”

“I miss you, too. Until Maggie comes back, though, I feel like I need to be at Hilltop.”

“I know,” Aaron stroked Paul’s cheek with the backs of his fingers. “But I’m still going to miss you.”

They filled each other in on things that had happened in the other’s absence, and spent most of the late afternoon just getting lost in conversation like they always did. Paul was impressed that they hadn’t run out of things to say yet, and never seemed bored by each other. He loved that they could make each other laugh so easily—laughter still seemed like such a rare commodity in the new world.

Gracie finished her homework and rejoined them shortly before dinner, and they went to the town’s new community center where most of the evening meals were now prepared and served. Everyone greeted him, talked to him, and even came to sit with the three of them, making it hard to enjoy Aaron and Gracie’s company. He was grateful that people cared and considered him a friend, but he selfishly wanted his time in Alexandria to only involve Aaron and Gracie. He knew that was rude, though, and so he endured the extra company until dinner was finished and the three of them returned home.

“Can we play beauty shop now?” Gracie pleaded as soon as they crossed the threshold.

Paul looked to Aaron for the final word, and the man nodded his consent. “Go get your stuff.”

Gracie bounded up the stairs as Paul and Aaron took off their shoes and moved into the living room. Jesus reached up and pulled out the elastic band holding his hair up, letting it uncoil and spill down his back and over his shoulders. Aaron groaned softly, his fingers weaving into the hair at the back of Paul’s head and giving it a playful tug. “So damn sexy.” Paul grinned as he was pulled into a kiss and released all too quickly.

When the little girl returned, she was carrying a large, tattered tackle box that Paul knew contained every ribbon, bow, clip, and other hair accessory that she had collected over time. She set it down on the coffee table and pointed to the floor between the couch and the table. “You sit there.”

Jesus did as instructed and Gracie opened the box, fishing out a worn, soft-bristled brush. Aaron sat down on the end of the couch, resting his foot on Paul’s thigh as the man sat cross-legged in his assigned spot. Paul gently kneaded his foot, and Aaron flicked on the T.V. to queue up whatever DVD was in the player. Gracie slipped behind Paul on the couch and began to brush his long hair. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of having his hair played with, and smiled to himself. He loved these moments; it was proof enough for him that they really were a family, even if they didn’t live together.

After his hair was sufficiently brushed, Gracie began to section it out, making him turn his head to the side so she could weave a braid with the front part of his hair. As she reached the end, she reached over for a ponytail holder to secure it, then grabbed a little red bow to clip at the end. The next section of hair was pulled into a high ponytail and given a pink bow. She alternated braids and ponytails around his entire head until he had at least eight different bows or ribbons.

“What do you think, Daddy?”

Jesus slowly swiveled his head back and forth to swish the braids and ponytails for effect, and Aaron chuckled, smirking at Paul. “It looks beautiful, baby.”

“Do me now!!” Gracie bounced off the couch, grabbing Jesus by the arm to try and pull him from his spot.

They traded places and Gracie settled on the floor in front of Jesus, hugging her knees and leaning forward slightly so he could brush out her wavy hair. Tilting her head back slightly, he sectioned a piece of hair at the top of her head, and divided it into three equal segments. Aaron leaned forward, watching Paul weave the hair, pulling new sections in, until it began to form a French braid.

“Where’d you learn to do that?”

“Enid,” Jesus smiled softly. “Since all I can ever do is a basic braid, I asked her to teach me something new. She’s the only one, besides me, at Hilltop with long enough hair.” He added with a laugh.

Paul braided her hair all the way to the end and used his own elastic band to tie off the end. Coiling the braid at the back of her head, he found a pretty white ribbon to secure it so that she had a French braided bun. When he finished, Gracie hopped up to find the nearest mirror.

“Wow! Daddy, look!” Gracie ran back over and twirled around.

“I know, I see it! You look beautiful.”

Gracie beamed and moved to throw her arms around Paul’s neck, hugging him tightly. “Thank you. I love it! Do you like your hair? Come here and look in the mirror!” She pulled him to his feet, leading him to the mirror and Jesus tried like hell not to laugh. He felt like Medusa on prom night.

“Yours is so much more creative than mine. You’re getting really good at the braids!”

The front door slammed open, startling all three of them. Michonne stood in the doorway, katana in hand. “There’s a herd coming straight for us, if they get to the gates, they could take them down.”

Gracie ran to Aaron, a fearful look on her face as Jesus moved to pull on his boots. “Daddy?”

“Remember our drills,” Aaron knelt down in front of her, holding her arm comfortingly.

“Lock the doors and stay in my room.” She started to sniffle, eyes filling with tears.

Aaron pulled her into a tight hug. “Don’t worry, baby girl. Daddy won’t let anything hurt you.”

“Aaron,” Jesus prompted gently, not wanting to pull him away from his daughter, but knowing they needed to move fast to control the herd. 

Kissing Gracie’s forehead, Aaron shoved his feet into his boots, tying the laces with one hand. He followed Jesus onto the porch, grabbing the door handle and turning back to Gracie. “Lock the door, Grace.”

He waited until he saw her move towards the door, then shut it. The bolt turned, and he and Jesus ran towards the gates. “This is the second time in a week a herd has come right towards the gate. It’s like they know it’s a weak spot.”

“There’s been a herd not far from Hilltop,” Jesus told him. “They don’t really seem to be doing anything.”

Aaron looked over at him in surprise, his breath steaming against the dark sky as they ran. “How long have they been there?”

“A few days. We’ve been monitoring them, trying to figure out what they’re doing. It’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.”

The guard at the gate, opened it for them and several others who ran up at the same time. Siddiq did a double take at Jesus’ hair. “You’re rocking the shit out of that, man.”

“Fierce,” Paul laughed, unsheathing his knives and pulling them out. Michonne and few others were already fighting the herd back, trying to turn them back the other way with flares. Jesus ran into the fray, pushing off the ground and using the chest of one walker to land a flying kick to another. The walker fell to the side, taking down several others. He quickly stabbed the downed walkers before coming up, both arms swinging wide to plunge the blades into the eye sockets of the walkers on either side of him. Two thirds of the herd had broken off, following the riders on horseback who were holding torches. The group on the ground quickly dispatched the remaining third.

Aaron came to stand next to Jesus as the group made sure all the walkers were down and that no other stragglers returned. “Call me crazy, but seeing you do all your ninja stuff with bows in your hair…” Aaron looked over at him with a provocative smirk. “Kind of turned me on.”

Paul couldn’t help but laugh, nudging Aaron with his shoulder and offering his own suggestive grin. “I’ll have to remember that.”

They helped move the bodies in a pile to burn in the daylight, when the light of the flames wasn’t likely to draw the herd back, then headed back home. Gracie had been waiting at her bedroom window, hugging a stuffed animal against her chest, and flew downstairs and out the door as soon as she saw them. She leapt off the top step of the porch, straight into Aaron’s arms. Aaron held her tightly, pressing her tightly to him with his metal arm, and rubbing her back soothingly as she cried against his neck.

“W-why do t-they keep c-coming back?” she sobbed almost hysterically.

“I don’t know, Gracie,” Aaron told her honestly.

“Your dad’s never gonna let anything get through that gate, Gracie.” Jesus tried to reassure her. She lifted her head, wiping her face with the back of her hand as she looked at Paul with woeful eyes.

“Promise?”

Jesus didn’t want to make a promise that he couldn’t keep, he didn’t want this to be the lie she eventually held against him. Aaron must have sensed his thoughts, because he kissed Gracie’s cheek and murmured. “I promise.” The words seemed to calm her, the tears stopped flowing, and Gracie fiddled with the top button on Aaron’s Henley.

“Can I sleep with you tonight?” she asked in a small, pitiful voice.

“Of course, baby.” Aaron kissed her forehead. “Let’s all go get cleaned up and into our pajamas. We can have a slumber party in daddy’s room. Does that sound good?”

Gracie nodded, a smile starting to return. “Can Mr. Bear come, too?”

“Well, of course! It’s not a party if Mr. Bear’s not there.”

She slid out of Aaron’s arms and ran back into the house to get ready for bed. Jesus started to follow, but Aaron reached out for his hand, pulling him back. He toyed with one of the braids hanging at the side of Paul’s face with a disappointed look.

“This isn’t exactly how I wanted tonight to turn out.”

Paul cupped his cheek, leaning up to kiss Aaron’s lips despite the fact that they were still standing outside and neither of them were particularly fond of public displays of affection. “I don’t just come here for that, y’know? I come here to spend time with you and Gracie, both. Nights like tonight are inevitable, and if Gracie feels safer sleeping with us, then it’s a sacrifice I’m happy to make.”

“I just feel like the time we have alone is already limited. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not upset that Gracie wants to be with us—I know she’s scared, and I want to comfort her however I can—I just…” he sighed softly, looking down.

“What is it?”

“I want you to live with us.” They had talked about possibilities of living arrangements, should their relationship progress to that level, but the proposal had never been formally made. “I want to fall asleep next to you every night, wake up with you every morning. I hate that we only get a few days together every couple of weeks.”

“I know,” Paul caressed his cheek. “But I can’t leave Hilltop without a leader. I wish Maggie hadn’t left me in charge before she left; I wish I had some idea of when she’d be coming back. I can’t ask you and Gracie to move to Hilltop with me—that wouldn’t be fair to either of you. We’ll…just have to make this work for now.”

Aaron took a deep breath in before letting it out again. “Maybe I’ll ask for more missions that would bring me to Hilltop. Gracie and I could spend some time there with you. If that’s okay?”

“Of course it’s okay. Gracie hasn’t been to Hilltop since she was a baby, but I’m sure she’d like to explore a new place. You can help us monitor that herd if they’re still around.”

“We really should mention that to the council tomorrow,” Aaron told him, leading him into the house. “The movement patterns are starting to feel…organized. I know that sounds crazy.”

“No, I agree. It’s definitely weird.”

Locking up the house and turning off the lights downstairs, Jesus picked up his pack and followed Aaron upstairs. Gracie was already in the middle of the large bed with a pile of stuffed animals around her. Aaron laughed softly. “I see Mr. Bear brought a few friends.”

“They were scared, too.” Gracie told him.

“Why don’t you go pick out a game from the game closet while Jesus and I get cleaned up and into our pajamas?”

Gracie moved out from under the pile of animals and padded out into the hallway to look for a game. Jesus unstrapped his knives and rinsed them off in the sink before drying the blades with a washcloth and sheathing them again. He hung the weapons and straps on a hook in Aaron’s closet, that was high enough to be out of Gracie’s reach. As he took down Gracie’s eccentric hair style, making sure none of the bows had gotten blood on them, Aaron unstrapped his metal arm and laid it on the counter before he stripped down and stepped into the shower.

Paul slid out of his clothes, and stepped into the shower behind Aaron, holding onto the man’s hips as he pressed tender kisses across Aaron’s upper back and shoulders. Aaron turned and slipped his arm around Paul’s waist, pulling him under the shower spray and meeting his lips in a deep, languid kiss. Aaron’s hand traveled lower, and Paul could feel the man’s arousal pressing against him.

With Gracie waiting on them in the bedroom, Paul wasn’t sure he felt right about fooling around in the shower, but then Aaron’s mouth was kissing just behind his ear in the one place Aaron knew he couldn’t resist. He had to bite his lip to keep from moaning, and slid one hand down between Aaron’s legs to grasp his cock, stroking it in the way he knew Aaron liked with a slight roll of his wrist at the tip. Aaron claimed his mouth again, using it to muffle his own moan of pleasure as his hand wrapped around Paul’s erection and began to stroke him in return.

Maybe jerking each other off in the shower wasn’t as good as rooting around under the covers, but neither of them were going to complain. They had to break the kiss the closer they came to release. Aaron was nipping at his earlobe, drawing in rapid, heavy breaths and puffing the air out against Jesus’ neck. His honeyed tones dripped into Paul’s ear as he breathed his name. His real name, not the name that everyone else called him. Aaron only called him Paul when they were alone or being intimate, and each time he said it made Jesus tingle pleasantly. It made him feel special, almost like it was a pet name instead of his actual name. He loved hearing it from Aaron’s lips.

As they neared their peak, their mouths crashed together once more, muffling each other’s sighs of pleasure until they found their climax, almost simultaneously. The release made both of them weak in the knees, and Paul wrapped his free arm around Aaron to support the other man as he leaned back against the tiled wall of the shower stall. They kissed each other until the blissful haze finally wore off, and they knew they couldn’t prolong their interlude any more. They made quick work of getting clean, before they stepped out, dried off, and put on their pajama pants and t-shirts. Aaron’s was a plain grey shirt, but Paul’s was a well-worn Guns N’ Roses tour t-shirt. Aaron studied the design for a minute before he nodded, as if making up his mind about something.

“I’m stealing that from you.”

“Like hell you are,” Paul smirked, combing the tangles out of his hair. Aaron kissed his cheek and opened the door between the bedroom and bathroom. Gracie had set up a Monopoly board and had strategically placed stuffed animals around the board. Even though the game had no practical application to it anymore, he’d been teaching Gracie how to play in order to help develop her math skills. She still didn’t understand the premise of the game, all she knew was that she liked taking Aaron’s money whenever he landed on her properties.

When everyone had taken up a spot around the board, Gracie picked up the figure of the dog. “I want to be the puppy!”

Paul snatched up the boot, and Aaron chose the car. Jesus didn’t even have to pretend to let Gracie beat him at the game. He’d never been great at Monopoly, and he quickly discovered he sucked at it even more with vultures like Aaron and Gracie snatching up every piece of property. Aaron had laughed and given him a consolation kiss when Jesus went bankrupt after landing on a high-dollar property owned by Gracie. Pleased with her victory, Gracie relocated to sit in Paul’s lap as she faced off against Aaron, trying to bring him down.

“Pay up,” the little girl said, holding her hand out when Aaron landed on Boardwalk.

“She is ruthless!” Paul laughed, tickling her sides playfully, making her giggle and squirm.

“One more trip around the board, and then we’ll count up our cash and see who won. Then it’s time for bed.”

The mention of bed made Paul stifle a yawn. He rested his chin on Gracie’s shoulder, watching the last round. It was obvious by her stack of play money that she would be the victor, but he loved that Aaron was pretending to pose a serious challenge. The love he had for his daughter always made Paul’s heart flutter.

When the game ended, and the money was counted Gracie did a small victory dance before helping to clean up. Jesus returned the game to the closet as Aaron and Gracie found a suitable place for the stuffed animals to spend the night—nestled in the top drawer of Aaron’s bureau. Aaron slept on the left side of the bed, laying on his side and sliding his stumped arm under Gracie’s half of the pillow. She crawled into the middle of the bed, curling up close to Aaron’s chest with her small hand resting on his neck. Jesus turned the lights off and slid under the covers on the other side of the bed, moving in close behind Gracie so that she was sandwich between himself and Aaron. He reached across her and rested his hand on Aaron’s hip, and Aaron reached over to hold onto his. Their eyes met in the dark, a tender smile pulling at Paul’s lips.

“I love you,” Aaron whispered softly.

“Liar,” Paul teased in a whisper. 

Aaron chuckled softly, mouthing “Asshole” so that Gracie wouldn’t hear the swear.

Jesus shook with quiet laughter, carefully pushing up to lean over the little girl and capture Aaron’s lips. “I love you more.”

“Liar,” Aaron countered, reaching up to caress the man’s cheek.

They drifted off to sleep together; their small family unit content and complete.

FIN


End file.
